French Workshop Crunchy iced latte. Inspired by their Crunchy pastry with vanilla sponge cake, chocolate mousse, dark chocolate, and caramelized hazelnuts; with skim milk and an extra shot, I loved it.
Whole Food’s Caramel Cinema chocolate bar with candy-coated chocolate, caramel pieces, and crunchy corn nuggets. This was one of the best milk chocolate bars I have had in years.
Creamy umami turkey pasta. Whole-wheat pasta tossed with a homemade sauce with sauteed ground turkey, mushrooms, crispy baked shredded extra-firm tofu, caramelized onions, smoked paprika, gochugaru, gochujang, tomato paste, fish sauce, and sour cream. Plus garlic sauteed baby broccoli.
Smoothies! Strawberry malted – frozen strawberries blended with water, malted milk powder, and chocolate protein powder.
Blueberry cheesecake – frozen blueberries blended with water, vanilla bean powder, vanilla protein powder, and cottage cheese.
A breakfast-y, dessert-y, waffle yogurt bowl situation. Fage with blueberry topped with blueberries, Evergreen peanut butter banana bread waffles, and maple syrup.
Bagels with cream cheese and lox, chopped. We did a mix of cream cheese, Kewpie, smoked salmon, Trader Joe’s pickled onions, chili crisp, and honey. Plus roasted broccoli.
Egg tacos, chopped. Our filling was a mix of chopped together scrambled egg with extra-sharp cheddar, fried plantains, sauteed poblano pepper and green onion, avocado, and Cholula chipotle cremosa sauce. Plus roasted zucchini.
Savory oatmeal bowls. Our favorite oatmeal (Trader Joe’s rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds) topped with sauteed kale, crispy baked shredded tofu, a fried egg, and chili crisp.
Blueberry cottage cheese pancakes. I used this recipe but added vanilla bean powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, and some blueberries. Plus sauteed kale and homemade turkey sausage (ground turkey with sharp cheddar, maple syrup, fish sauce, smoked paprika, urfa, gochugaru, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper). I coved the whole plate in maple syrup and Cholula chili garlic hot sauce!
TWO new-to-me Jeni’s flavors. Frosted sugar cookie was great, miso butterscotch brownie was possibly the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.
Kelang’s side dishes remained delicious as leftovers. Taro gnocchi and roasted cabbage plus roasted baby broccoli that I made.
We’ve made several iterations of these baked black bean tacos and we like them more each time! Our filling was food-processed walnuts, black beans, evoo, and sauteed mushrooms, green onions, and poblano peppers with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Baked in tortillas with sharp cheddar. Plus roasted cauliflower on the side and a dipping sauce (Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing, gochujang, honey, and mayo).
I used the leftover taco filling to make excellent baked meatballs; with ground turkey, panko, egg, and sharp cheddar. <– We will be making this set of dinners again for sure! Plus leftover veggies and ranch for dipping (plain Greek yogurt, Kewpie, Trader Joe’s ranch seasoning, and pickle brine).
Yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with malted milk powder, brown sugar, and vanilla bean powder topped with Uncle Crumbles sugar cookie granola and all of the berries (blackberries, blueberries, and jumbo blueberries!).
Malted. Vanilla ice cream blended with milk, malted milk powder, and toasted rice powder.
A patty melt that was probably the best thing I’ve made all year. Turkey patties (ground turkey, lime juice, fish sauce, panko, and egg) cooked in a skillet with smoky pimento cheese melted on top on Trader Joe’s sourdough with mayo, lime juice, and red curry.
Paired with great seasoned fries. Baked green beans and frozen french fries tossed in a homemade spice mix – salt, white sugar, white pepper, Sichuan pepper, gochugaru, onion powder, garlic powder, toasted rice powder, dried fish roe, and green mango powder.
BBQ chicken bowls. Baked chicken breast tossed in a skillet with homemade bbq sauce (ketchup, gochujang, maple syrup, rice wine, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds) on a bed of sauteed bok choy, green onion, tomatoes, and ginger.
Things from this week — NYC was cold again (after being HOT last week) and we leaned into cozy foods. I had a weekday off – just for fun – and took myself on a walk in/to Chelsea. Highlights…
Rose iced latte from Terremoto. They make the best floral coffee I’ve tried.
Tall Poppy‘s sugar cookie croissant is stupendous. It is stuffed with marzipan!
Not cozy – a smoothie. Frozen peaches and blueberries with water, vanilla bean powder, and vanilla protein powder.
Very Fresh Noodle‘s very spicy vegan Dan Dan Mian. I love everything about this dish but especially the spice level and cold pops of cucumber salad.
Turkey chili. We have several beans on our meal plan for next week so I skipped them here and added some riced cauliflower for extra fiber instead. Plus onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, diced tomatoes, and tons of spices. I made cheddar jalapeño bread on the side (my go-to dumb bread recipe plus sharp cheddar and Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalopenos).
Homemade pasta sauce. In the blender – roasted baby tomatoes, canned peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, silken tofu, parmesan cheese, fish sauce, and dark soy sauce. Served on whole-wheat bowtie pasta with roasted zucchini and more parmesan (plus I added some Milu Everything Spice). The tofu adds protein and creaminess.
Adam and I had the whole weekend together and it was just the best! We had two days of Manhattan fun (East Village and the Upper East Side) including great food, a long walk, time loving the trees in Central Park, and a trip the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum. The highlights…
Fancy Kook‘s carrot cake iced latte with cream cheese foam, cinnamon, and pecans.
I was disappointed in this egg coffee from Le Phin but we also had the best pandan iced latte I’ve ever had.
Cola and lemonade slush from Slik. Perfect consistency and not too-too sweet.
We quite enjoyed this bowl from Yogurt Club. Super thick strained Greek yogurt with blueberries, Biscoff kataifi sauce, and mochi.
Speaking of mochi and kataifi – Bear Donut‘s new chewy cookies are amazing. We got white chocolate hazelnut.
Before they closed, Bao Haus served my favorite food in New York and their new iteration is even better! We had lamb bao and unphotographed duck bao.
The Birdhaus bao was as fantastic as I remembered.
The new location does large plates like these outstanding noodles with chilis, pickled greens, and burnt ends. The wonderful schmaltzy pea shoots are hiding in the back.
I also had a guava gose with a delightful rim (li hing mui, maybe?).
Cambodian food at Bayon. We shared shrimp, crabmeat, and corn chowder.
Tamarind duck. Perfectly crispy skin!
Sauteed eggplant with beef, fresh basil, garlic, chili peppers, and oyster sauce. The beef was even better than the duck.
And the Spicy Siem Reap Noodles – sauteed wide rice noodles, basil, scallions, eggs, onion, chili, fish sauce, and soybean, with beef, extra spicy.
I tamed the spice with a creamy iced tea.
P.S. The leftover noodles were great reheated in a skillet with kale and an extra egg.
Nachos. Stew Leonard’s salsa verde protein tortilla chips (delicious!) with sharp cheddar, ground turkey, and onion, poblano, and bell pepper sauteed with taco seasoning.
This chocolate banana protein drink made my iced coffees extra fun.
See also – banana milk with Blue Bottle’s instant Nola (my favorite at-home coffee) was quite tasty.
A mostly blueberry bowl, plus plain skyr and Cascadian Farm chocolate chip cookie granola.
See also – a blueberry smoothie with dark cherries, chocolate protein powder, vanilla bean powder, and water.
An eggcellent snack – hard boiled egg with Milu everything spice alongside Peelerz caramel pudding gummy eggs (<– the fruit flavors are better but this was obviously fun).
See also – an easy egg salad. Hard boiled eggs smashed with mayo, plain skyr, yellow mustard, and leftover marinated cucumbers.
One of the best soups I’ve ever made – leeks sauteed with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika / extra-garlicy chicken meatballs / roasted sweet potato and zucchini / chicken broth. I topped my bowl with chili crisp. Plus a side of sourdough with blueberry jam.
Homemade tomato soup. In the blender – white onion sauteed with butter / cannellini beans / canned whole peeled tomatoes and tomato paste / veggie broth, white pepper, and dark soy sauce. Paired with a grilled cheese, of course; sourdough, mayo, extra-sharp cheddar, honey, and chili crisp.
I’m usually committed to the bit but a final night of soup felt like too much so we had twice-baked potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts instead. Turkey Reuben twice baked potatoes – with sauteed ground turkey, homemade Russian dressing, sourkraut, and white cheddar.
We used the bread to make wonderful sandwiches. Sourdough pullman / ginger miso mayo / shredded, baked super-firm tofu tossed with peanut butter, gochujang, lime juice, brown sugar, and veggie broth / sliced baby cucumbers marinated in white sugar, Sichuan peppercorn, Milu everything spice, and rice vinegar. Plus roasted baby broccoli.
For Five‘s chopped cheese sandwich was surprisingly good. Even these leftovers were delicious.
Congee bowls. Brown rice slow-cooked with chicken stock / mustard greens and scallion sauteed with soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and pepper / ground turkey sauteed with peanut butter, lime, brown sugar, Sriracha, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and chicken broth / chili crisp.
Tuna noodle casserole. This came out so well! Brami radiatori protein pasta, canned tuna, and canned trout / mushrooms, leek, and red scallions sautéed with flour, corn starch, veggie broth, gochujang, fish sauce, and sesame oil / baked topped with a mix of crushed honey butter chips and seaweed chips. Plus roasted broccoli.
My Rex Manning day tradition is rewatching Empire Records with pizza and brownies and this was our best year yet! Brownies = Hummingbird High’s small batch brownies. These are even better than my go-to brownie recipe (I did add a bit of espresso powder and topped them with cinnamon maple pretzels).
Pizza = a variety of slices from Tori T’s. This is some of the best pizza I’ve eaten; the crust is perfect.
Eating Chalk 